When I'm Gone
by Blossom Kunoichi
Summary: "Daddy, don't leave." Gaara had never gave the time for his daughter. It's about time he realizes how much he has been hurting her for her whole life.


**I don't own Naruto.**

**Eminem - When I'm Gone.**

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Yeah...  
It's my life...  
My own words I guess...

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It has been 21 years since Gaara and Sakura had been wed. An arranged marriage was prepared to make the bonds between the Leaf and the Sand but their love was a lie, controlled by the governors.

A child was born a few months after their wedding. Ai of the Sand was born. She had her mother's eyes and her father's eyeliner eyes and his red hair along with her mother's pink streaks. Ai was a very sweet girl but she longed for her father's love. Sakura had felt Ai's pain, comforting her all the time but Gaara always left them, off to go to countries to present their village.

Ai turned 11 today. She counted all the times she had seen her father. How many? She recounted back to at least 1000 times in her life that he had left. She sighed in frustration.

"Ai!" The girl turned around to face her best friend, Ichigo Uzumaki. "Hey Ichigo..." She told him putting up a fake smile. "It's your father again, isn't it?" Ai nods her head, sadly. "You're lucky, your father gives you all the time in the world while mine..."

"It'll be alright. Is your dad gonna be home later?"

"Yeah."

That afternoon, Ai smiled as she finished creating a drawing of her family. She heard footsteps coming from the back. She turned around to face her father. She smiled and ran to him, the drawing in hand. Gaara looked at his daughter and nodded as he sat down on his desk and started doing his paperwork.

Ai frowned. "Daddy, where's mommy?" She asked.

"I don't know Ai." Gaara didn't want his daughter to suffer. He had been absent for her whole life. He missed her 11th birthday, he missed the day she passed academy, heck, he wasn't even there when she was born.

"Daddy? Can you push me on the swing?" She asked, hugging her bear. Gaara sighed. "Maybe next time, Ai."

In another room, Sakura wept as Gaara acted like he didn't care about his daughter. She had wondered if she could have taken Ai and escaped to the Leaf. Sakura loved Gaara but it felt like everything was a lie.

The night fell, Sakura fell asleep beside Gaara, tear stains left marks on her cheek. Gaara frowned as he saw his wife cry in her sleep. He had always suspected that it was about Sasuke but no, it's because Gaara never showed any love towards his family.

The next day, Gaara had to leave to visit the Raikage for another meeting with the rest of the 5 Kage.

He kissed his wife goodbye and is about to walk out of the room. He could hear rustling downstairs. He walked down the stairs and his eyes widened. The door to the exit was barricaded with boxes and objects. In the middle was Ai, blocking the door with sand. Her face is full of rage.

"You're making Mommy cry, why? Why is Mommy crying?" She asked, her green eyes glaring at his blue jade ones.

"I'm not leaving again, Ai." Gaara told his daughter. "Daddy, you're lying." She spat. "You always say that, you always say this is the last time. But you ain't leaving no more, Daddy you're mine." She tells him. Gaara had the power to push those boxes away then Ai began to panic.

"Daddy please, Daddy don't leave, Daddy- no stop it!" She cried. Gaara goes on his knees and hugs his daughter. Ai buried her hand in her pocket and took out a necklace. "Daddy, this will keep you safe. Take it with you." She tells him. Gaara nods and leaves his home with his siblings.

On the way to the Lightning Village, Temari stopped Gaara. "Gaara, how's Ai and Sakura?" "They're well. Ai tried to stop me from leaving."

"Gaara," Temari said in a very stoned voice. "You have one last chance to make things up to them. They care and love you Gaara."

He arrived at the World Meeting. The meeting was boring, about rouge ninjas and all but things got interesting when guards had arrived at the door of the meeting room. A smoke bomb had been detonated in the room. The smoke cleared out and Gaara's eyes widened. He can't believe what he was seeing.

It was Team 17, AKA Team Sabaku, led by Kankuro Sabaku and, consisted of Hana Nara, Kira no Sabaku and Ai no Sabaku.

"Daddy it's me, Help Mommy, her wrists are bleeding!" She cried, her voice full of cracks. The Hokage's eyes widened, his blue eyes turning to the Kazekage. "Gaara, what happened to Sakura?" Gaara got up and looked down to his daughter. "Ai, we're in The Lightning Village, how'd you get here?" He asked in disbelief.

"I followed you Daddy, you told me that you weren't leaving. You lied to me daqd, and now you make Mommy sad." She said, ignoring the kunai that was stuck in her arm. "AI!" Sakura's voice rang out. Ai closed her eyes, forcing the tears out of her eyes. Naruto started to tear up.

"And I bought you this coin, it says 'Number One Dad. That's all I wanted, I just want to give you this coin." Ai said, showing the coin up. Gaara knew that was a lie. He wasn't a good father, he was never there for his daughter, not even at the times she needed him.

"I get the point - fine, me and Mommy are gone. LET'S GO!" Ai threw a paper bomb to the ground. The Kages swore that they saw the girl grab her teammate's hands and jumped out the window.

They saw a note on Gaara's side of the table.

"It's too late now Dad. Now go up there and show them that you love them more than us." He sighed and ignored all the eyes that focused on him.

He was going to make it up to them.

The meeting was dismissed and The Sand Siblings were the 1st to leave. They began to catch up to Team 17 and Sakura.

They got back to the Sand, to find Ai on the swing and Sakura pushing her with a smile. Gaara sneaked up behind his wife and hugged her from behind. "I love you, my love. I will never leave you 2 again." Sakura smiles, tears streaming down her face. Ai smiles to the tree, Ichigo's blonde hair sticking out with a thumb's up.

Heh, I wonder, will Gaara be there for the wedding?

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**What do you think?**


End file.
